7 Things You Must Know About Digital Transformation – Take a Look!

A recent study found that 65% of enterprises believe their business will be transformed by new
technology in the next three years. The term digital transformation is often used to describe these
changes, but what does it actually mean?

Here are seven points you should know as you help your company prepare for
its digital future.

1. It is not just about the technology:

A digital transformation initiative is much more than simply an investment in new technologies. That
said, digital technologies will form a foundation for all kinds of changes.

2. It is not just about business processes either:

Many companies are using digital technology to update their internal systems and processes so they can
operate with greater efficiency, speed, and lower costs.

3. The consumer experience is important:

Because consumers are accustomed to instant access to information on their smartphones, if a business
has a digital presence at all it had better be easy for customers to find what they want on your website
or in your app.

4. Companies need new skills:

Digital transformation entails working with new tools, so companies will have to hire employees who
know how to use them. Such hires might also need training if their current skill sets do not match the
company’s needs.

5. Your company’s culture may change:

As more enterprise processes become automated and run over the internet, employees will no longer
be tied to their desks at specific times of day because there will be no reason not to allow them to work
from home.

6. These changes are coming fast:

Look at the speed with which digital communication has grown in just a few years, and then consider
that all businesses will be approached by new competitors offering digital services within just a few
years. Your company must be ready to change or risk being left behind.

7. It can take up to two years to make true progress:

As enterprise leaders begin thinking about what digital transformation means for their companies, they
often face resistance from employees who do not understand why technology is better than the tried-
and-true systems they have been using for decades. And because major overhauls of business processes
can require significant time and, it takes some time before results are visible.

Taking on digital transformation means accepting the inevitability of major changes to your business
processes and culture, but it’s a trade-off. By adopting innovative new technologies you can stay ahead
of your competition and remain competitive for years to come!

Why You Should Use Video In Your Marketing Plan

Shared with LinkedIn Pulse as Why You Should Use Video In Your Marketing Plan. Originally published as
Why Video is Crucial to Online Content Marketing in The Huffington Post Business section on August
21st, 2016 by Amanda Milkovits. Republished with permission from Ryan Holmes – Founder & CEO
Hootsuite Media Inc Follow @HootSuiteMedia . This is a great read. I’m totally stealing this for later use.

1. Put the Person Behind The Brand:
2. Give Your Brand Human-Like Qualities:
3. Make It Shareable:
4. Encourage Viewers

To Interact With Your Content: If you make a video about how to do something,
such as cook shrimp scampi or tie a bowtie, consider uploading each step to YouTube as its own video
and then offering one link that will bring viewers to the right place on your site where they can watch all
the videos in order and learn how to do what they need to do themselves. These way viewers feel like
they’re learning from you and not just watching TV at work (even if that’s exactly what they’re doing).

If you have a blog with a series of articles, consider making a video that pulls all the best information from
each post and puts it in one place. It’s more likely to be shared if done this way because people know
they’ll be able to refer back to it later on when they need help or reminders.

5. You Can Use Videos In Your Social Media Marketing: To add some personality to your Tweeting, for
example, you can use Gifs. They’re essentially videos made up of images that play over and over again in
a loop. Or consider using Vine or Instagram Video, both of which are apps/sites that allow users to
create short videos that automatically upload into user feeds. Vine is a great way to promote special
offers, announce a new product line or give a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into creating your
products or services.

6. Videos Are On The Rise : According to Omnicare Media, 53% of the marketing plans for 2015 included
video content and more than twice as many of those plans (53%) were exclusively video than in 2013
(25%). Video was also the number one type of content used by marketers in 2015 and it’s expected to
become more popular next year with 56% of marketing budgets planned to be spent on videos.
Conclusion:

Awesome post! Thank you so much for sharing the link to the original article from The Huffington Post –
really appreciate it. You have some very valid points of view, especially point number 5 with regards to
using social media platforms such as Vine etc., but my favorite has got to be number 3 about making it
shareable.